Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective(Sociology for a New Century)

Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective, Third Edition provides a clear, detailed introduction to women's political participation and representation across a wide range of countries and regions. Through broad statistical overviews and detailed case-study accounts, authors Pamela Paxton and Melanie M. Hughes document both historical trends and the contemporary state of women's political strength. Readers see the cultural, structural, political, and international influences on women's access to political power, and the difference women make once in political office. The text acknowledges differences among women through attention to intersectionality and women from marginalized groups.

About the Author :
Pamela Paxton is professor of sociology and public affairs and the Christine and Stanley E. Adams, Jr. Centennial Professor in the Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in economics and sociology and her PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has consulted for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Academies. She is the author of numerous scholarly articles on women in politics, which focus on statistical models of women's parliamentary representation. Her research has appeared in a variety of journals, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Comparative Politics, International Studies Quarterly, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. She is also an author of Nonrecursive Models: Endogeneity, Reciprocal Relationships, and Feedback Loops (2011). Melanie M. Hughes is associate professor of sociology at The University of Pittsburgh. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001 with a degree in sociology and government and earned her PhD from The Ohio State University in 2008. Her affiliations include the Department of Political Science; the Ford Institute for Human Security; Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies; and Global Studies. She specializes in political representation of women from marginalized groups. Her research on women in politics has appeared in journals such as American Sociological Review, American Political Science Review, Social Forces, and Politics & Gender. Currently, she is consulting with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations Development Programme to increase the availability of data on women in political leadership and public administration. She is also writing a new book on the political dominance of men from majority racial, ethnic, and religious groups worldwide.

Review :
"Women, Politics, and Power is a well-organized and clearly written text. Its multidisciplinary approach synthesizes research on women's political power around the world, and its case studies provide valuable context and support."--Miriam Levitt "This edition of Women, Politics, and Power is the best book that I have seen on the subject of women and politics. Combining theory and data in a detailed yet very readable text, the authors show the progress that women have made in politics, where they stand now, and the obstacles remaining to full political equality for women, comparatively and globally. It definitely warrants serious consideration by anyone teaching in this area."--Stephen Robertson